Report: ISIL Relying Only on Foreign Terrorists in Mosul

The ISIL has resorted to relying on foreign terrorists in the city of Mosul as most of the local militants have fled the city via Iraqi and Syrian borders, media reports said.

The ISIL has lost a large number of its senior commanders in Mosul because they were from Anbar province, the Arabic-language media quoted an unnamed local source as saying.

The source underlined that the ISIL is fully relying on the terrorists from foreign countries in the surrounding areas of Mosul city.

Earlier on Sunday, the Iraqi air force dropped tens of thousands of leaflets over Mosul in Western Iraq calling on the residents of the Western city to prepare themselves for the its imminent seizure.

“We have informed Mosul citizens that the ISIL’s end is near as it is spending its last days and they should prepare themselves for welcoming the Iraqi troops,” the Iraqi army announced in a statement.

Iraq’s joint military forces are now behind the gates of the city of al-Qayyara which is 63 kilometers from Mosul and ready to start the third phase of the liberation operations of Mosul city and its surrounding areas.

On Saturday a senior military commander announced that Iraq’s joint military forces have completely seized back a strategic island to the East of al-Ramadi in Anbar province.

“The Iraqi security and Hashd al-Shaabi (volunteer forces) managed to fully liberate al-Khalediya Island 23 kilometers to the East of al-Ramadi and also take full control of the surrounding villages and regions of the island,” Commander of Anbar Liberation Operations Major General Esmayeel Mahlawi said.

He noted that the liberation of al-Khalediya Island comes after recapturing of the Bu Kana’an region which was the last military base of the terrorists in Al-Khalediya Island area.

Meantime, Hashd al-Shaabi Command Center in a statement announced that over 150 terrorists from different countries, including two Americans, 7 Russians, 4 Chechens and many Saudis, were killed in the al-Khalediya Island liberation operation.

Also on Thursday, General Mahlawi said that the Iraqi forces killed 700 ISIL militants during an anti-terrorist offensive on Khalediya Island.

“Security forces so far have killed 700 ISIL members since the beginning of Khalidiya Island liberation battles,” said General Mahlawi.

The final anti-terrorist offensive on Khalediya Island started in late July.

The city of Ramadi was occupied by ISIL militants in May 2014. The government forces succeeded in retaking the city after weeks of fierce fighting from December 2015 to February 2016.

ISIL is a terrorist group mainly operating in Syria and Iraq. The terrorists have also claimed responsibility for attacks in Europe. The group is deemed as terrorist entity by international bodies, including UN.